Papillon (2017)

My Review

“Papillon” is the story of Frenchman Henri Charriere, falsely accused of murder and sent to the infamous prison on Devil’s Island in French Guiana in 1933. The film was based on Charriere’s 1969 autobiography and the 1973 movie with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. It was filmed in Malta, Serbia, Montenegro, and Thailand.

The production values and cast performances were good enough, thanks to Danish director Michael Noer and screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski. However, the film has an uneven pace, even sluggish and boring in parts. The cast is headed by Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek in the Charriere and Louis Dega roles, respectively. “Papillon” was successful at the box office for Red Granite Pictures, Czech Anglo Productions, and Bleeker Street Media.